How to Hire Tradies Without a Recruitment Agency

Your carpenter doesn't turn up on Monday. Your ad has had no replies for three weeks. An agency is quoting you a cut of his pay.

Can I hire tradies without a recruitment agency?

Yes, for most trade roles. You need a clear brief, a plain ad, a way to find people who are not applying, a few red-flag checks, a good interview and a fast offer. It takes time at first. The same steps work every time you hire.

Here is how to hire tradies without a recruitment agency. I'm a tradie turned recruiter. I did twelve years on the tools, then more than ten years in construction recruitment. I've placed over 1,000 trades, labour and management staff.

This is the order I'd follow if I were hiring for my own crew.

Check how ready your hiring is

The free hiring scorecard shows which steps you may be missing before you write your next ad.

How to hire tradies without a recruitment agency: the six steps

1. Write a five-minute brief.
2. Write an ad that leads with the site and the work.
3. Look for people who are not applying.
4. Screen for red flags.
5. Interview and check references like a tradie would.
6. Offer fast and plan the first 14 days.

It takes more of your time at first. But the same steps work every time you hire. I'll take each step in turn.

Step 1: write a five-minute brief first

Many bad hires start with a fuzzy idea of the job. "We need a good carpenter" is not a brief.

Before you write an ad or call anyone, write a short page. It takes about five minutes. It should say:

• The exact role. Is it a second-year apprentice, a carpenter who can set out, or a leading hand?
• The project and site. Where is it, and what is the work?
• The pay. A real number or a real range.
• The dates. The real start date and how long the job runs.
• The must-haves. The things you will not budge on, like a White Card and a licence if the work needs one.
• The nice-to-haves. Things that help but can be taught.
• Who they report to.

Keep the must-have list short. Every extra must-have shrinks your pool.

A good test: "Would I turn down a great tradie for missing this?" If not, it is a nice-to-have.

Safe Work Australia says workers must have a White Card before they can start work on a construction site (Safe Work Australia). Licensing rules for some trades vary by state, so check with your state regulator.

Step 2: write an ad that leads with the site and the work

A good tradie decides in a few seconds. If your ad opens with three lines about company values, they are gone.

Lead with what they care about:

• Where is the site?
• What is the work?
• What is the pay?
• How long does it last?

Here is a before and after. Both are examples I wrote to show the idea. They are not real ads.

Before:

Exciting opportunity! A dynamic and growing company is seeking a motivated carpenter to join our passionate team. Competitive salary and great culture. Apply today!

It says nothing. No site, no pay, no length. A good carpenter reads it and moves on.

After:

Carpenter wanted. Townhouse build, Gold Coast. Framing and fit-out, 6 months with a strong chance of more. $55 to $62 an hour depending on experience. Start in 2 weeks. You need your own tools, a White Card and a ute. Call Sam on 04XX XXX XXX or reply here.

(The pay and the names here are made up. Use your own real numbers.)

The second one works because it says what the job is and where. It gives the pay and job length, names the must-haves, and makes it easy to reply.

Cut corporate words. Say "we're a family firm of 12" instead of "an innovative organisation". Keep it short.

Also state the pay. Indeed says that including salary details typically leads to a significantly higher number of applications (Indeed). Good tradies know their worth. They don't want to guess.

Step 3: look for people who are not applying

This is where many builders stop short, and it is where good tradies can be hiding.

Many good tradies already have jobs. They don't scroll job boards every night. If you only wait for applications, you miss the people who are doing well somewhere else.

So you go to them. Here are three quick places to start.

Your own crew and contacts. Ask your best people who they'd work with again. Ask suppliers and other subbies. A name from someone you trust beats a stranger.

Indeed resume search. Indeed has a product called Smart Sourcing. Indeed says that when you add it to a job post, you see people whose resumes fit your job, and you can invite them to apply (Indeed). It is a subscription, so check the price on Indeed before you start.

LinkedIn search. Many tradies, leading hands and site managers have a profile. You can search by trade and area. A simple tip: LinkedIn search needs the words AND, OR and NOT in capitals. Quote marks keep a phrase together. Brackets group terms. For example, "carpenter" AND (formwork OR framing) AND "Gold Coast". There are no wildcards (LinkedIn Help).

You can also search Google with site:linkedin.com/in and your words, like carpenter and Gold Coast.

Then reach out. Say who you are, what the work is, where, what it pays and how long it lasts. Ask if they'd be open to a short chat.

This is only a quick intro. The full method, with scripts, is in the Construction Hiring System course.

Step 4: screen for red flags

You will talk to people who sound good and aren't. A few simple checks save a lot of pain.

Watch for:

• Gaps in work history they can't explain simply.
• Every past job was someone else's fault. If every job ended that way, think about the common factor.
• Vague answers about the actual work. A good tradie can tell you what they built, how, and what went wrong.
• No foreman or site manager as a referee. If the only reference is a mate, ask why.
• Rushing the money question. Pay matters, but the order of questions tells you something.

None of these on its own means "no". They mean "ask more". If two or three show up together, be careful.

The full list of hiring mistakes is in a free report. Get the free 7 Hiring Mistakes report and read it in a few minutes.

Free report: 7 Hiring Mistakes

Learn the common slip-ups before you hire. Get the free 7 Hiring Mistakes report.

Step 5: interview and check references like a tradie would

You don't need fancy interview tricks. You need to hear how they talk about real work.

Start with one question: "Walk me through the last job you were on, start to finish."

Then stay quiet and listen. A good tradie tells you the site, the scope, their role, who was there, what went wrong and how they fixed it. Someone who was only on the edge of the work goes vague fast.

Then do references, and do them properly:

• Call the foreman or site manager, not the mate. A mate will say nice things. A foreman has seen the person on a bad day.
• Ask the worst-day question: "What was he like on his worst day, not his best?" It gets past the polite answer.
• Ask about turning up, quality of work and how he handled a hard day.
• Ask if they'd take him back. A pause here tells you a lot.
• Take notes. You think you'll remember. You won't.

If you want questions for a specific trade, see my guide to interview questions for carpenters.

Step 6: offer fast and plan the first 14 days

Good tradies don't wait. If you take two weeks to make an offer, someone else may take it for you.

So move quickly. If the interview and the references check out, make the offer in a day or two. Put the start date in writing, along with the pay and the job length. Ask about their notice period early, so there are no surprises.

Then plan the first 14 days. Many hires fall apart right here.

• Tell them where to be, when, and who will meet them.
• Have their site induction and gear ready.
• Pair them with a good worker in week one.
• Check in with them by day ten.

A clear start makes it easier to stay. For more on this, read how to keep good tradies.

What it costs to do it yourself vs use an agency

Doing it yourself costs your time and a few ad or tool fees. Using an agency costs a fee, often a percentage of the first-year pay. I've put agency numbers in a separate guide: construction recruitment agency fees Australia.

With an agency, you pay money and save time. Doing it yourself, you pay less money and spend more time, but you get faster each time.

Your time is not free. If an empty role is costing you work, overtime and stress, that cost is real. You can work out what hiring costs you with the free tool, and see how ready you are with the free hiring scorecard.

If you hire once in a while and are short on time, an agency may suit. If you hire often, doing it yourself usually pays off.

When to get help

You don't have to do this alone.

If you have one live role and you're stuck, the Hiring Fix Call is $295 AUD for 60 minutes. We go through your brief, your ad and your plan.

If you hire often, the Construction Hiring System course is $497 AUD. It gives you the full method so you can run it every time.

If you just want to talk it through first, book a free 15-minute discovery call.

I mainly teach builders to run their own hiring, so you can do it yourself. If you hire for several trades, see also how to hire tradies during a skills shortage.

General information only, not legal or employment advice. Check White Card and licence rules with your state regulator, and read the sources linked above.

Want help with your next hire?

Book a free 15-minute discovery call and we will talk through your next hire. Prefer to learn it yourself? The Construction Hiring System course teaches the full method.

FAQ

How do I hire good tradies myself?

Follow six steps. Write a short brief first. Write an ad that leads with the site and the pay. Look for people who are not applying. Screen for red flags. Interview, then call the foreman. Make a fast offer and plan the first 14 days.

Where do I find tradies who are not applying?

Good tradies are usually already working, so they do not search job boards. Ask your crew for names. Search Indeed resumes and LinkedIn for the trade in your area. Then call or message them with the site, the work, the pay and the job length.

What should I put in a tradie job ad?

Lead with the site and the work. Then give the pay, the job length and the start date. Say what tickets or licences you need and how to reply. Keep it short and use plain words. A good tradie decides in a few seconds.

What questions should I ask when reference checking a tradie?

Call the foreman or site manager, not a mate. Ask what he was like on his worst day, not his best. Ask about turning up, quality of work and how he handled a hard day. Ask if they would take him back. Take notes on the call.

How do I stop a new tradie from not turning up after day one?

Plan the first day. Tell them where to be, who meets them and what they will do. Have their gear and site induction ready. Pair them with a good worker in week one. Check in by day ten. A clear start makes it easier to stay.